Queen Mab

[zankoku_zen]

Warrior, Trickster and Goddess of Magic and Poets, she is one of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Queen of the Faeries. A very complex scent, both shadowy and fierce: black orchid, sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, osmanthus, Somalian rose, and Chinese musk.

In the Bottle: Something sweet and rosy.

On Skin: Almost cloyingly rosy sweet. It's like sugar and roses combined together. Potent. After a few minutes, I can smell another floral trying to wedge its way through. It's getting more complex but still dishearteningly sweet.

On Drydown: Still cloyingly sweet. I'm going to go wash off.

Verdict: Queen Mab is surely playing tricks on me. Instead of being shadowy and fierce, I have a bright sweetness. Almost like a watermelon. I'm wondering what note I'm just not getting along with here... Off to swap

[gangstaknitta]

Wow. Queen Mab rules.

I was expecting more a more floral scent in the bottle, but the sandalwood gives everything a "dark" note. It almost smells like a less-sweet version of Snake Oil.

On my skin...oh, it is a lot like Snake Oil. I really love it and the rose is not at all powdery. Snake Oil is sometimes a little too sweet in the hot humid South and Queen Mab is a nice substitution.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Musk & orchid. I like.

 

First on: The musk is still the leader in the scents, but the orchid has fallen back to a sort of generic florsl.

 

Drydown: Mostly musk still, with a hint of floral in the back. I like it, but I don't love it, so I'll probably try it out to see if it's worth keeping.

[Undine]

This scent is indeed dark and complex. What must be the black orchid smells almost chocolatey. Subtle, a little sweet. Then the florals begin to come up a little more, a little sharper. Rich, and makes me think of nighttime. Heady. I visited Key West last year and smelling this recalls the lovely tropical night, walking down roads of shuttered conch houses, the gardens of palms and other tropical plants rustling in the wind.

 

But it doesn't last long and I think it "went soapy" on me. A lot of sweetness, not much of that dry sandalwood underneath ever, or the jasmine--which is a pity. Eventually took it off.

 

I don't seem to do well with florals, unfortunately, so I need more resins or other strong scents paired with them.

[arabella]

First Impression: Flowers (not sure what kind, but tiny, white ones) frosted with icing sugar that's been dissolved in a drop of citrusy sunshine.

 

Dries down to: Very quickly, the sweetness backs off and the flowers - gardenias, maybe, definitely something exotic, showy and and tropical - throw aside the curtains and make a grand entrance with their petals spread wide and their heads thrown back. The citrusy note disappeared when no one was looking and plumes of smoke and incense have drifted in and are now surrounding the flowers, that are drinking in the applause.

 

Additional Comments: This is an absolutely gorgeous blend but not one I would have ever picked for myself based on the description. Half of the notes in it (Jasmine, rose, musk) usually just don't work well on me but, like so many others have said before, there's something psychic going on when the lab picks freebies; this one's a definite "keeper" and is going on my "Big Bottle" list.

 

Lasted: Several hours.

 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

[Dark Seraphim]

Bottle: Reminded me a lot of Viola--Wine and Roses. Only, Mab had a more soapy rose jasmine scent.

 

Worn: Jasmine was very prominant here. Still had a rosy soapy scent. Very pleasant, but not as strong as I expected or hoped. Didn't last very long.

 

Burner: Same as when worn, only it was stronger there.

 

While I liked this scent just fine, it wasn't as great as I had hoped. Wouldn't mind an imp, but wouldn't consider a larger bottle. 6/10.

[pekeana]

Ehhh...

 

Queen Mab is a nice floral. It's not obnoxious or overbearing. It is a little powdery after a while, and it makes me itch (rose reaction) a little, and I can smell the sandalwood.

 

When wet, it has almost a Dorian feel to it till it leeches into your skin.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 4/5

Summarised in a word or two: Sweet rose.

 

In the imp/bottle: Strangely sweet, like sugared roses. And... berry?

 

On skin, wet: Um. Berry. This may be one of the floral notes, but for all the world, I'm thinking berry.

 

On skin, dry: Sweet, sugary berry-rose. The rose isn't as overpowering in this as it normally is, and is actually pleasant. Thing is, this has virtually no staying power.

 

Conclusion: I would have to bathe in this for it to have the slightest throw and, while I like it, I don't know if I like it enough to bathe in it.

Edited December 17, 2005 by Aredhel

[Miss Lynx]

I really wanted to like this scent more than I did. "Shadowy and fierce", queen of the the fae -- what's not to like? And at first sniff, it was not bad at all -- kind of floral-but-not, in the way that Dublin is on me. Wild flowers with a foresty backdrop, and a definite complexity to it.

 

Unfortunately, before long the floral notes in it came surging up and overpowering everything else, making it way too sweet for me. Curse my skin's tendency to amp florals -- if it had kept the initial balance it had, I probably would have liked it. Oh well. It would be a great scent for someone who was more of a floral fan than me, or at least had different skin chemisty.

 

My partner likes it, though, and her skin handles florals better than mine, so this one goes to her instead of to the swap pile.

 

Grade: C

[empi girl]

Queen Mab is really nice, a surprise with the night-blooming jasmine in it (it leads me to think maybe I can wear night-blooming varieties, just not straight up "jasmine"). It is light, clean, faintly aquatic and faintly grassy, with a hint of fruit and flowers. Not overly sweet, not astringent. I never get the rose, I never get a strong "floral" scent, I don't get a lot of musk, just a perfect scent for spring and summer.

 

Looking at others reviews, this one is all over the map for people. I can say I would never have tried it, due to jasmine, and I'm glad I got a frimp, as I might just get a big bottle come spring.

[Little Bird]

I wanted to try Queen Mab because it has black orchid in it (one of the few florals that I love)... sadly, I don't smell any black orchid in this.

 

First on this is musky jasmine. My skin amps it up to overwhelming proportions. After a few minutes the rose starts to come out and go soapy.

 

The overall result was nauseating to me. Jasmine is such a strong floral to me, paired with the musk it was a pure migraine.

[Scarlettfish]

I'm quite perplexed with this one. When it went on it was a gorgeous musky floral - really exotic and shadowy, as the description implies. But now - nothing! Where did you go? Weird, because florals are really lovely and long-lasting on me usually, especially jasmine. Might have to try this one again.

[olympia301]

 

This is a gorgeous scent and just full of orchid. It reminds me strongly of Regan which I love for its almost cloying sweetness. Beth dials floral sweet to the extreme and by all experience I should just detest this fragrance, but I love it! Perhaps this is the mark of a great perfumer, taking things to the limit of womanly endurance and having you say,"Oh, I could not stand one particle more of that which I love!" Like teetering on the brink of an orgasm, leeching as much pleasure out of the orchid as possible before utter saturation.

 

Queen Mab saves orchids from being too sweet, brings in rose as a backup and they blend flawlessly. Orchid just falls into the lap of rose, in other words they have something in common and that mutuality is exploited with the master's hand. Hard to tell where one stops and the other starts. I realize there is musk in here, but it is not allowed to intrude on the orchid/rose communion. Same goes for sandalwood, that is allowed to give a bit of bass to the blend and round out where orchid and rose lack depth. The other ingredients must be in there but their role is overshadowed by the other agents.

 

A remarkable thing, this Queen Mab. I highly recommend it as a classic BPAL which should be tried by anyone who believes them self an aficionada of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab.

[LyndaM]

I was initially afraid to even sniff this imp, due to jasmines' habit of causing me terrible headaches. This time it didn't, and I wholeheartedly love Queen Mab.

 

Sniffing the imp, I identified the orchid first, thanks to my love of Regan. The orchid here is a bit duskier and deeper, but just as beautiful.

 

Once I applied it, it blossomed into a dusky muted floral. As others have said, it is definitely a velvety purple scent. I never identified the jasmine, which is a Very Good Thing. It morphed as it dried, and more of the florals came out to play, but the orchid stayed in front. It had pretty good throw, my husband could smell it an arms' length away after 3 hours.

 

As it dried, the sandalwood and musk made the lingering stages of extreme drydown absolutely gorgeous on my skin. I had better luck than others with the staying power, it held on longer than most florals, and never went soapy (though I'm one of the few who actually like 'soapy' in some blends).

 

I loved every stage if this, and it was a comforting scent to me. I'm including a bottle in my Yule order.

[Ankhet]

Queen Mab:

In the bottle: Ooh, this smells nice! Sweet flowers! Like sugar-sweet, not the vanilla-sweet of Zephyr.

Wet: Hm.. this smells almost like those choklit-covered cherries, but no choklit and some floweryness over it...

Drydown: The cherry disappeared, and now what's left is a warm rose, that's reminiscent (again) of RenFaire. I like this one.

Conclusion: Keep. Test more to see if 5ml is needed.

[sarada]

Queen Mab strikes me at first as crystalline, sparkling flowers with a deeper, darker undercurrent.

 

I am cautious around blends like this, because all of the strong, heady florals like to compete to see who can give me a headache first, and though musk usually helps to make a blend last on me, when combined with flowers it typically just makes for a stronger, longer headache.

 

However Queen Mab is grounded in a powdered sandalwood incense -- a very pale sandalwood, burned at night by an open window with a garden blooming outside.

 

It becomes slightly more perfumey as it dries and the night-blooming jasmine starts to gain power. It becomes an old perfume bottle gathering a light coat of sandalwood dust. Perfumey, but without that aldehydic synthetic buzz.

 

I like this fairly well for a floral but it doesn't wear well on me and winds up smelling like a fairly conventional commercial perfume....which is what florals usually do. But happily, neither this nor the other florals I tried today gave me a headache or put me off smelly stuff for the rest of the day.

 

Queen Mab finished up a bit darker, with sandalwood and musk simmering under the bouquet, which is a nice finish for me. I might keep it around for reference but I don't think I'd wear it more than once a year when I was in a strange, atypical flowery mood.

Edited November 9, 2005 by sarada

[zenvodunista]

in the imp the first thing i smelled was babypowder. that's usally enough to make me retch, but i was brave and tried it on anyway.

 

as it dried on my skin, the pale, powdery scent, began to blossom into something exotic, sensual and womanly. i keep sniffing my wrist, trying to identify what it is i'm smelling -- something akin to orange or tangerine, but completely not. something like spices but sweet, it's light yet it's dark. i can't pick out any individual notes in this at all.

 

just a few minutes ago i was only half convinced, but now... i think... i think i might be falling in love. we'll have to see how often i reach for the imp, but.

 

this is very complex! not a scent for a minimalist. i'd like to wear this to a romantic dinner. i feel elegant in this. elegant, and mysterious.

 

n.

[Chrysantza]

I ordered this as part of an imp pack because I like florals.

 

In the bottle: Bright, sharp floral.

 

On me: Oh oh, this went sideways. I smell like a cross between a fruit vinaigrette and cheap air freshener. I'm beginning to suspect that orchid isn't the greatest with my body chemistry.

 

Plus it lost potency about 15 minutes into wearing, and what's left is mostly baby powder vinaigrette.

 

Verdict: Swaparoonie.

[ancilla_morte]

when first applied, it reminded me a LOT of the Unicorn. It has that candy lime skittle smell to it, but it is more watermelon.

And I smell... BEER! well, its probably Mead actually. This blend makes me feel so yummy and sparkly and intoxicating! it makes me think of drunken faeries on Midsummer night's eve!

Honey and flowers and glittery candy! though it does fade very fast on me.

 

5ml!!

[Kittyflop]

Mm, if that’s what orchid smells like, I like it. I’m still learning my florals so I don’t think I can pick out the individual notes. This has an ‘out of focus’ feel to it. That’s a terrible choice of words, but I can’t find another way to describe it – ‘soft’ isn’t quite it. As opposed to a sharp clear note, that some others describe. Maybe that’s the musk muddling things up. Anyway, it’s a lovely softish musky floral, but with an attitude – dark and exotic, yet comforting. And a touch of something that smells like vanilla? That can’t be right…. Something in this reminds me of Beatrice, just a little, but less innocent, more devious.

 

It has good throw and staying power – 5+ hours.

[AngellicMystique]

Queen Mab is a lovely nighttime floral. I like the jasmine, rose and musk in this one. If I can't have Chiroptera, this will do.

[Imbrium]

Ooh, initially, this reminds me quite a bit of Phantom Queen - which I adore; I think they both share an orchid note.

 

Wet, this really is almost entirely orchid, and while it verges on being a little too sweet-floral for my taste, it never quite gets there. Instead, as it dries, the rose starts to come forward, and temper the strength of the orchid note in this. Dry, this is much quieter, almost subtle. It has a warm background - the musk, I think - and a hint of rose and orchid over top. It's elegant, very elegant - but somewhat dark, at the same time.

 

I plot evil, naughty things when I'm wearing Queen Mab.

[blu°]

Queen Mab was very picturesque, but it didn't feel quite me in the end.

 

Prickly sweet, slightly floralish, similar in texture to Aeval in my eyes. Aeval being the little sister.

It reminded me of the pollen clinging to humming bees' hair. In the sunshine.

 

I also almost immediately got the picture of a red haired woman. Very soft skinned with tiny hands and feet.

 

Fact is, I have a friend who's red haired, soft skinned and who has tiny hands and feet. Mind you, I didn't think of her first way. The woman in my imagination had quite brighter hair and her face was that of a woman depicted in a chagall print I once received as a present.

 

However, it intrigues me, that this my friend really digs Queen Mab - I had given her an imp after realizing that she resembled my association.

 

She says it's come just in time as she was looking for an alternative to her all time favourite Jil Sander Sun which she thought wouldn't fit her all so well anymore.

[merivelle]

This was the very first BPAL fragrance that I ever bought and is still one of my all time favorites. It's a gorgeous floral with strong orchid and mild rose notes. It reminds me of being in the English countryside after a rain storm. Pure heaven.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - I'm not very good a identifying florals, but to me this just says rose.

Wet in me - Again with the rose, but slightly sweetened.

Dry on me - A very pretty green, slightly sweet floral that fades quickly on me.